Arts & Culture

Best Holiday Craft Ideas From Sacramento Artist Jennifer Keller

The holidays are here – time once again to enjoy all the food, festivities and fun the season has to offer. The holidays are also about being fun and creative and there is no better way to do that than by making holiday crafts. Whether you are a die-hard crafter or just looking to save a little money this year on decorations, local artist Jennifer Keller has ideas on how to put more of an artistic flavor into your craft projects. Keller combines fine art and folk art to create stunning pieces full of color and quirkiness. She loves to create pieces from found objects including scraps of fabric, old jewelry or thrift-store treasures. Here are five inspirational ideas for your holiday craft project.

Add a beautiful vintage feel to your Christmas tree by stringing strands of old jewelry. Start by searching thrift stores, antique stores or even dollar and discount stores for funky pieces of jewelry. String them on twine, tying a knot to keep each piece in place, then drape around your tree. This is a great way to up-cycle broken or mismatched pieces for a funky and eclectic look.

Painted Figurines

Another great thrift-store project is to find figurines such as deer, elves or Santas that may be outdated or have chipped paint and spray paint them a solid color. Paint the figurines the same color – all red, gold or silver – or mix and match the colors. Jennifer says that the solid color makes them more contemporary; it also gives a classy look to your decor. This is another fast and affordable repurposing craft project.

If you are like most people, you have collected many ornaments over the years – possibly more that can fit on your tree. Why not take the ornaments you no longer wish to display on the tree and turn them into a wreath? This is a great way to hang on to all those homemade ornaments from your kids without cluttering the tree. Simply pick up any pre-made wreath of your choice at a local craft or discount store and glue the ornaments to the wreath. Add ribbons, berries or other fillers for a finishing touch.

Pinecone Garland

Pinecones are not only synonymous with winter, they are also an extremely versatile craft object. And even better, they are cheap – perhaps free if you live in an area where there is an abundance of pine trees. String them as is onto your favorite ribbon or string of beads, or spray paint them silver or gold for a classier look. Hang them on your mantle, adding a few loose pinecones to finish the look.

Wall Art

Canvas is another crafter’s friend because you can do countless things with a plain piece of canvas panel. Use your favorite cutouts – reindeer, snowflakes or partridge – on a canvas panel for a simple, classy piece of artwork for your wall. Spray paint around the cutouts with your favorite holiday color, then peel off to reveal the white canvas underneath. Or add contrast by painting the embellishments and gluing them to the canvas.